During an interview on ITV's Loose Women today (February 8), O'Leary revealed that he was worried about the show's future before Gary Barlow and Tulisa Contostavlos came on board.

"When Simon and Cheryl left, I thought, 'That's it right?'" he explained.

"For about a month it was just me and Louis [Walsh] and I thought, 'Oh I've made a big mistake here'. But, it just goes to show how robust that format is, because Gary has done such a great job, Nicole [Scherzinger] has come in and done a great job this year as well and Tulisa won last year."

The 39-year-old - who was joined by former X Factor contestant Rylan Clark on the chat show - also said that he has continually resumed his presenting duties because he feels a loyalty to the Saturday night programme.

"I wouldn't do it if I didn't love it. It's so much fun. It's a nine-month gig for me so if you couldn't totally immerse yourself in the brilliance and the insanity of it then you shouldn't be doing it," he explained.

"You have got a real family feel there, and for me, I love doing live telly and it gives me 20 shows to do a year."

When asked about the forthcoming tenth series of the contest, O'Leary - who is currently promoting this year's X Factor live tour - admitted that he has "no idea" whether the judging panel will change once again.

"In terms of judges we never know," he said.

"I didn't know who the judges were up until a week before last year. It's all about diary and it goes to the last minute."